Fans of big wave surfing chill at festival

PRINCETON-BY-THE-SEA -- The turnout at the 2014 Body Glove Mavericks Invitational was thousands less than in 2010, when spectators could last watch the competition from the bluffs and beach.

Still, an estimated 2,000 big wave surfing fans showed up to Half Moon Bay on Friday to attend the Mavericks Viewing Festival and watch 24 watermen test themselves against some of Mother Nature's best while competing for a $12,000 first-place prize.

For a $15 general admission fee, fans could watch the event on three large HD screens at the festival, held in the parking lot of the Oceano Hotel & Spa. The awards ceremony was also held in the parking lot after the hour-long final heat was dominated by Grant "Twiggy" Baker of South Africa.

Baker also won the contest in 2006.

"It's just amazing to be out there and surf this wave," Baker told fans at the awards ceremony. "I didn't get bucked off by the bump."

The field of surfers signed autographs and posed for pictures following the awards ceremony, much to the delight of fans who waited to see the thrill seekers in person.

Fans were banned from the beach and bluffs after several rogue waves injured spectators on the shore in 2010. Apparently, some fans hadn't heard that news.

A handful of spectators asked for refunds because they thought they would get to see the competitors live in action, one gate official said.

The fans who elected to stay and watch on TV were a quiet bunch for the most part, but they seemed to enjoy the offshore spectacle as surfers were flung around like rag dolls while battling 30- to 50-foot waves. Several surfers were forced to utilize inflatable safety vests after bigger wipeouts.

Count Ian Blackstad, a 21-year-old college student from Sacramento, among the happy fans.

"It's cooler than I thought it would be," he said. "This is harder than people think. I've done it, but I haven't mastered it like snowboarding, where you're strapped in. These guys have the (most guts) this side of the Mississippi. They're standing on a little piece of wood, riding a 25-foot-wave throwing them in a direction he might not want to go. And there's rocks out there too."

Blackstad was upset with the live feed though, which cut out frequently, and he said he wanted more options for hard alcohol.

In addition to dozens of food and beverage vendors, there were several art booths, a surfboard shaper working his craft, and even two quarter-pipe ramps for skateboarders.

Fans of all ages, sizes and genders showed up, some with their children and pets in tow.

Some of them called in sick to school and work to take in the event.

David Meany of Pleasant Hill was riding his bike along the coast between Pillar Point Harbor and the break, hoping to get a glimpse of the break. With pedestrian traffic turned away for the second straight year, he considered watching streaming action on his smartphone.

"It's a beautiful town, but you can't see the waves," he said, noting there was no traffic on his ride from the East Bay.

Meany had seen some large waves in nearby Pacifica and was hoping to see bigger waves, he said, like bigger than two-story houses.

He said he didn't know any of the surfers in the event.

"I'm here for the waves," he said. "But I wish (the surfers) the best. Plus, I want to get a little exercise."

Michael Phillips of Hawaii and Melissa Dillon of Santa Rosa took a break from the viewing festival by sipping Bloody Marys on the patio of Half Moon Bay Brewing Co. prior to the final. Phillips has been to several Mavericks events, while Dillon was making her first appearance.

"I like the energy," she said. "People put together the festival really nicely."